Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) launched terroristic attacks at six different popular locations across Paris, France on Friday, November 13 killing at least 129 people and critically injuring hundreds more. It has been the worst attack on French soil since World War II. Attacks like these are becoming all too common, and fear of these terrorists and the horrific events they put on every day are spreading worldwide.
ISIS follows an extremely radical interpretation of the religion of Islam. They manipulate certain verses in the Qur’an and take them out of textual and historical context in order to fit their extremist ideologies. They go against everything the Qur’an (the Muslim holy book) preaches in regards to violence. They kill innocent civilians and even fellow Muslims. They use the enslavement and rape of women and children as a weapon. All of which are direct violations of teachings in the Qur’an. Through the actions of ISIS, and other Islamic extremist organizations, they have created a misunderstanding of the religion, and an undeniable, and sadly understandable atmosphere of Islamophobia. As unfortunate as it is, many people associate Muslims and their religion with terror, death, and destruction.
Muslims worldwide have take to social media, posting the hashtag #NotInMyName, in an attempt to show the rest of the world that they are tired of Islam being portrayed in this manner, and that they are not a part of the problem. The terrorists of ISIS who carry out these sorts of attacks should not be viewed as representatives of what Islam truly stands for. They are a radicalized group – picking and choosing what laws to interpret and enact to fit their own personal, twisted, religious agenda. President Obama comments, “ISIS is a terrorist organization, pure and simple. And it has no vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way.” They are a small group misrepresenting the majority of a religion – just as the crusaders, Nazis, and KKK were extremists using Christianity to enact violence. We recognize those organizations as “hate groups” and realize they are not representative of an entire religion, so why don’t we have that same understanding towards ISIS versus Islam? We, and by we I mean all of humanity, need to offer that same viewpoint to the majority of Muslims who are peaceful people, and who are just as horrified by these atrocities as the rest of the world.
Muslims worldwide have taken to social media in an attempt to show they condemn the violence by ISIS.
A female student at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and a devout Muslim (who wishes to remain anonymous) said in an email interview,
“Islam is a peaceful religion. ISIS are NOT Muslim. It is said in Islam ‘if you kill one soul, you have killed all humanity.’ Killing innocents, especially women and children, is bad. And you will burn. The same for suicide bombings. They are all haram (bad). Violence in Islam is forbidden, unless it’s for 3 reasons – defending yourself, defending another, or if someone is destroying Islam, like killing innocent Muslims while in a masjid for example. Just remember most Muslims in the world DO NOT support ISIS. The media makes it look like ISIS is a huge network of terrorists but really it’s a small number.”
It is clear to the majority of peaceful practicing Muslims what a disgrace and abomination ISIS is to the religion of Islam. As seen in the #NotInMyName campaign, they do not condone, support, or tolerate the contorted ideals of ISIS. We should not either. But we also should not fear Islam as a whole. ISIS wants to create a divide between Muslims and the rest of the world. They want us to rage against Islam in order to justify their hatred of western culture and society and the violence enacted against it. By turning our backs on our Muslim brothers and sisters, by fearing the entire religion, we are letting ISIS win. Instead of fearing what we don’t truly know, why don’t we try and gain a better understanding of the religion and of what true Islam is really about? I am not saying that we shouldn’t see ISIS’s threats against us as illegitimate. We have every right to be afraid, but we shouldn’t be afraid of the wrong things. I am also not claiming everyone should go out and support Islam – everyone is entitled to practice whatever religions and beliefs they feel to be true. I am merely saying it is easier to fear the unknown, so maybe we should make the true facts a little more known.
In the famous words of Abraham Lincoln, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” We live in a world fraught with constant crisis, tragedy, and fear. We live in a world where our greatest threat is humanity itself. We cannot conquer the terrors of the world if we stand divided and not with each other in solidarity. It all begins with the acceptance of each other, and understanding the distinction between good vs. evil.
We are one world, and we need to stand together.